A.M. Three Strikes: Will London riots come to America?

LEADING OFF: The riots that have hit largely poor, minority neighborhoods in London spread wider last night, reaching into other major cities and at least one tourist area of the British capital, according the The Guardian. The Telegraph reports that the attacks, widely reported to be organized through BlackBerry messages, have now taken on a less-predictable pattern, coming in previously quiet neighborhoods and in broad daylight. The New York Times also has a solid rundown of the situation, which many have attributed to resentment at Britain’s new government budget austerity measures. Which raises the question, with budget-cutting on Washington’s to-do list, could similar riots erupt here in America? This blogger for The National Interest, a conservative foreign-policy publication, seems to think so. But others aren’t as certain. One rioting anarchist speaking to the Associated Press in London, for instance, compares the riots in a round-about way to America’s Tea Party political uprising, which is to say he thinks our unrest has already happened. Meanwhile, UK history professor Tim Stanley, writing in The Telegraph, says the riots are likely to teach Britains what Americans already know after the Los Angeles riots: That the middle class won’t yield to mob rule. But don’t be surprised if this question re-surfaces if both the London riots and the American budget cuts pick up more steam.

STRIKE 1: In The Denver Post, Sara Burnett has a story reporting that the man shot and killed by Denver police over the weekend was wanted for violating parole and was also suspected in the shooting of a burrito store employee during a robbery. Carlos Illescas writes that the Aurora City Council has introduced a proposal for a ballot measure that would either raise property taxes to pay for the city’s mandated minimum police staffing levels or do away with the levels altogether. Nancy Lofholm looks ahead to the likely traffic headaches this month’s USA Pro Cycling Challenge will create around Colorado, including temporary closures of several major highways or off-ramps.

STRIKE 3: A live-action version of the Beagle Boys (headphones on!) has embarked upon a mini crime spree across the South, the Associated Press (via The Miami Herald) tells us, with two brothers and a sister having been accused of leading cops on a high-speed chase, shooting at a patrol car and then knocking over a bank while wielding assault rifles. The Baltimore Sun reports that the woman who played Snoop on The Wirepleaded guilty yesterday in a conspiracy to sell heroin. The AP, via The Seattle Times, reports that one DNA test has failed to yield a link between the Washington surveyor newly suspected of being D.B. Cooper and a tie worn by the famed skyjacker. The St. Petersburg Times tells the story of two women — married, unbeknownst to each other, to the same man at the same time — who are in a legal battle over the survivor’s benefits of a slain prison guard. And finally, The Los Angeles Times reports that a California man was convicted of … Wait, what? Eww!

I just heard on the news that about 10 American midsize cities are going bankrupt, give it time and the American government will have a perfect storm of problems on thier hands. No work, people can’t eat and no help from those traditional support groups, yeah I think we will have riots soon!

Ur Worstnightmare

Yep..I`m have 20000 rounds and I`m ready. the welfare rats here will riot when the money`s gone and they face the prospect of having to work for a living.

Wldwsl

Yeah, stealing lots of goodies from other hard-working people, then burning their businesses to the ground is always such a brilliant answer to not having a job. And most of those riots seem to happen in the rioters own neighborhoods, which means that the people they hurt are those most likely to have tried to help them! Even if President Obama could call off the wars today, the money could not be diverted into the social programs that would suck it dry, because he’d still have to bring all the troops and equipment home, first. He didn’t send all those jobs overseas, the corporations did, in answer to the demand for higher wages and other benefits for employees, along with increased taxes on the businesses. All burning the businesses down would do, though, is destroy even more of the already scarce jobs.

Anonymous

I have been following the news in the UK and and spoken to someone there. This is not a racial thing. The only rioter interviewed spoke about how stupid he would be if he didn’t take the opportunity to loot expensive merchandise. Many of the rioters are very young. One eye witness reported that some were as young as 12 years old. The threats the police are making are that they will arrest rioters regardless of their age. They are telling parents to keep their children indoors so that they won’t riot.